The news of deadly explosions of pagers used by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has brought these early communication devices in limelight.
‘Biggest Security Breach’: Hezbollah MP’s Son Among 8 Killed In Lebanon Pager Blasts Amid Israel Tensions
What Is A Pager?
A pager, also known as a beeper, works different than phones. This compact battery-powered radio receiver alerts the user through sound or vibration when it receives a specific signal. Depending on the model, pager have several features like it can show either a numeric message, such as a phone number, or a text message, like “Call Home.”
After gaining widespread popularity from the late 1980s through the 1990s, pagers started to fall out of favor in 2000s when smaller and more affordable cell phones hit the markets.
There are two primary types of pagers: one-way pagers only receive messages while two-way pagers have the capability to both send and receive messages.
Pagers were widely used in fields like healthcare, and emergency services before phones. It is still used in places where cell networks might be compromised, protecting privacy of communication.
How Pagers Are Different From Smartphones
Unlike smartphones, pagers focus on critical messages while filtering out the usual daily notifications. Without GPS or Bluetooth, one of the smartphones’ features, pagers is usually preferred by those who do want their location to be tracked.
Privacy, cost-effectiveness, and functionality in environments where cellphones might be restricted makes pagers a communication device in various fields, from healthcare to high-security government operations.
Comments
0 comment